Pot-au-feu

Name: Pot-au-feu
Prep time: 20 min
Cook time: 3 h
Total time: 3 h 20 min
Yield: 6
Cuisine: France
Ingredients: 1.2 kg beef short ribs or brisket, in a single piece; 400 g marrow bones (optional but highly recommended); 4 stalks celery, cut into 8cm lengths; 3 medium carrots, peeled and halved lengthways; 2 leeks, washed and trimmed; 1 large turnip or parsnip, peeled and quartered; 1 onion, halved and charred directly over a gas flame or under a grill; 1 bouquet garni (bay leaf, thyme, parsley stalks, black peppercorns, tied together); 4 cloves (pressed into the onion halves); 2 tsp coarse sea salt; 2.5 litres cold water; To serve: coarse salt, Dijon mustard, cornichons, horseradish cream, sliced baguette

The great French boiled beef: a clear, golden broth with vegetables served in two courses

Origin: France

From the journey of Celery.

Pot-au-feu (literally 'pot on the fire') is the most fundamental dish in the French culinary tradition, a long, slow boil of beef, bones, and winter vegetables in water that produces both a clear, deeply flavoured broth and a platter of tender, yielding meat and vegetables. It is served in two courses: the broth first (classically in a cup or small bowl with toasted bread), then the meat and vegetables on a platter with coarse salt, cornichons, horseradish, and mustard. Celery, along with carrot, leek, turnip, and onion (is one of the indispensable aromatics of pot-au-feu, and the dish is one of the primary reasons that celery is so deeply embedded in French and Western European cooking. Without celery, the broth lacks its characteristic floral, slightly bitter aromatic undertone. Escoffier called pot-au-feu 'the symbol of family life' and noted its civilising quality. It is simultaneously peasant food and grand bourgeois cooking, household economy and culinary achievement) the same dish that appears on the weekday table of a provincial farmhouse and in the Michelin-starred restaurant as a refined interpretation. No other single dish illustrates the relationship between celery and French cuisine more clearly.

Ingredients

Meat

1.2 kg beef short ribs or brisket, in a single piece
400 g marrow bones (optional but highly recommended)

Celery

4 stalks celery, cut into 8cm lengths

Vegetable

3 medium carrots, peeled and halved lengthways
2 leeks, washed and trimmed
1 large turnip or parsnip, peeled and quartered

Base

1 onion, halved and charred directly over a gas flame or under a grill

Aromatics

1 bouquet garni (bay leaf, thyme, parsley stalks, black peppercorns, tied together)
4 cloves (pressed into the onion halves)

Seasoning

2 tsp coarse sea salt

Liquid

2.5 litres cold water

To serve

To serve: coarse salt, Dijon mustard, cornichons, horseradish cream, sliced baguette

Method

Place the beef and marrow bones in a large pot. Cover with the cold water. Bring very slowly to a simmer over low-medium heat: this should take at least 30 minutes. As the water heats, grey foam will rise; skim it off continuously with a ladle.
Once the liquid is simmering and reasonably clear, add the charred onion, bouquet garni, cloves, and salt.
Simmer very gently (barely a bubble) for 1.5 hours. Do not boil. A rolling boil will cloud the broth and toughen the meat.
Add the carrots, celery, leeks, and turnip. Continue to simmer gently for a further 1–1.5 hours until the beef is completely tender: it should yield easily to a fork with no resistance.
Carefully remove the meat and vegetables to a warm platter. Strain the broth through a fine sieve or muslin-lined colander. Taste and adjust seasoning: it should be clear, golden, and deeply flavoured.
First course: ladle the broth into cups or bowls. Serve with toasted baguette slices, optionally spread with marrow from the bones. Second course: serve the beef and vegetables on a platter with coarse salt, mustard, cornichons, and horseradish.

Notes

Pot-au-feu produces enough broth to strain and use for other purposes, it is one of the finest and most versatile stocks in classical cooking. The leftover beef can be served cold the following day with vinaigrette, as boeuf à la ficelle (sliced thinly on bread), or mixed with the vegetables and mayonnaise for a hearty salad. The dish should be made with inexpensive but gelatinous, collagen-rich cuts of beef, short ribs, brisket, or shank: which produce rich broth. Lean cuts will produce dry, unpleasant meat and thin broth.

The Gastrographer

Mapping Culinary History

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Journey Point Map Key

Ingredient originTrade or transit route

Became a culinary stapleColonial / trade control